San Francisco teachers overwhelmingly supported a preliminary strike vote, with 2,238 checking the yes box on the ballot and 16 voting no.

Union officials from the United Educators of San Francisco released the count Monday morning, the first day of the school year.

The vote is the first of two required before a strike can be called, but that won't happen anytime soon.

The district and union are still in the mediation and fact-finding process, with the next bargaining session scheduled for Sept. 2. The teachers can't strike until that process has played out, district officials said.

The two sides are still far apart on money issues, with the district offering an 8.5 percent raise over three years and the union requesting a 21 percent raise over that same period.

- Jill Tucker

All in the family: Mayor Ed Lee is fond of referring to San Francisco's 28,000 city employees as "the city family," a term we at City Insider have poked fun at him for using.

But then something happens where people from across the city's myriad bureaucracies - and from different political stripes, at least by San Francisco standards, where nearly every government type is some species of Democrat - rally behind someone who is suffering.

A group of friends and city workers, on their own time, have organized a race to honor Matz, an avid runner and mother of two, and raise money to help fight pancreatic cancer.

Under the banner "Race With Jennifer," 288 people have signed up to compete. The group has raised about $179,000 of a $250,000 target. The money will go to the UCSF Pancreas Center, where Matz is being treated. The San Francisco Giants will incorporate the footrace as part of its annual Giant Race on Sept. 7.

City staffers and other friends, including Elaine Forbes, Boris Delepine and Gary Chen, have taken it on themselves not only to organize the run and fundraising website in their spare time, but also to expand the event to include a bay swim starting from Aquatic Park and a 62-mile bike race starting at AT&T Park and going over Mount Tamalpais.

Forty-six people have volunteered as event crew, including staffing support vans for the bike racers.

Participants range from progressive elder statesman Aaron Peskin, who is doing the swim, to Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu, who will run.

"It's incredible. It's just incredible. I love it," Matz said when asked about the flourishing movement. "It's really humbling."